Device for indicating pouring height of steel ingot



Sept. 8, 1959 J. A. LINDSTROM 2,902,766 4 INDICATING PQURING HEIGHT 0F INGOT Filed Feb. 20, 1958 INVENTOR.

United States Patent DEVICE FOR INDICATING POURING HEIGHT OF STEEL INGOT John A. I iindstrom, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Jones &

l aughlm Steel Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application February 20, 1958, Serial No. 716,467

3 Claims. (Cl. 33126.7)

This invention relates to apparatus for positioning a marker in an ingot mold to indicate the height to which the ingot should be poured. More particularly, it is concerned with such apparatus capable of positioning the marker at a predetermined distance above the stool on which the ingot mold rests.

My invention is particularly adapted to the pouring of ingots of steel and although it is not confined to steel 1ngot practice, it will be described hereinafter in connection therewith. Ingots of steel are commonly top poured into upright cast iron ingot molds which are supported by cast iron stools. Steel ingots are commonly specified to be poured to a desired Weight and as the ingot cross section cannot be varied for any given mold, the proper weight is obtained by controlling the height to which the ingot is poured. A number of practices have been developed for marking the desired pour height in the ingot mold. The simplest method is to mark with chalk on the inside of the mold wall the desired height of pour. If the position of the chalk mark is measured from the mold stool, the desired ingot height may be obtained; however, the steel pourer looking down into the top of the mold from the pouring platform finds it diflicult to see the chalk mark against the bright background of the rising metal. Because of this difiiculty, steel pourers prefer an ingot height marker in the form of a fiat metal strip which hangs down inside the mold and is bent over the top of the mold to support it and bent out from the mold wall at the bottom to mark the height of pour. The surface of the strip end appears dark against the bright background of the rising metal and provides a readily distinguished marker. Since ingot molds are relatively rough castings, however, and so are not of carefully controlled height, ingot heights cannot be accurately indicated by bending the hanger strips in advance to the same length as determined from the nominal height of the mold. Accuracy requires that each hanger be bent to the proper length as determined from the actual height of each mold, which is time consuming and so seldom practiced.

It is an object, therefore, of my invention to provide apparatus for positioning hanger strips in a series of ingot molds at a predetermined distance from the mold stool.

An embodiment of my apparatus presently preferred by me is illustrated in the attached figures to which reference is now made.

Fig. l is a vertical section through an ingot mold on a stool showing the apparatus of my invention positioned therein.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of my apparatus showing the cursor on the measuring bar.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the apparatus as shown in Fig. 2 taken on the plane 33.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the cursor of my apparatus.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view partly in section of the cursor of Fig. 4.

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The principal components of my apparatus are a graduated measuring bar or rod 3 of length equal to or greater than the height of an ingot mold and a cursor designated generally as 4 mounted on bar 3. My bar 3 is prismatic in shape so that cursor 4 may slide thereon but cannot rotate. My bar 3 is provided with a succession of marks 55 indicative of ingot heights measured from the stool. It is also provided with indentations 66 in one of its faces, each indentation 6 being associated with a mark 5. These indentations 6 may conveniently be round holes.

The cursor 4 comprises a block 7 pierced with a hole 8 of the same cross section as my bar 3 but slightly larger so that cursor 4 can slide on bar 3. Block 7 has a flat top surface 9. In block 7 a retractable pin 10 is positioned so that its inner end can enter an indentation 6 when cursor 4 is moved on bar 3 to bring the axis of pin 10 in alignment with the axis of the hole 6. Pin 10 passes through a hole 11 in cursor 4 of diameter considerably larger than pin 14). Intermediate its ends pin 10 is provided with a flange 12 and pin 10 passes axially through a coil spring 13 which is confined between flange 12 and cover plate 14 of hole 6 so as to urge pin 10 into contact with bar 3. The outer end of pin it) is provided with a head 16 large enough to be gripped by the fingers. Cursor 4 is also provided with an outwardly projecting channel-shaped member 17 on one side thereof. The bottom 13 of channel 17 is fiat and lies in a plane perpendicular to the long axis of bar 3. A pin 20 extends through both sides of channel 1'] parallel to the bottom 18 and spaced therefrom. Rotatably mounted on pin 20 is eccentric 21 provided with an elongated handle member 22. Eccentric 21 may conveniently be cylindrical in shape and mounted on pin 26 so that when its handle 22 is more or less parallel to the bottom face 18 of channel 17 the lowermost surface of eccentric 21 provides minimum clearance from channel bottom face 18. The bottom 18 of channel 17 and pin 29 are so positioned with respect to each other and block 7 that when pin 20 engages a hole 6 in bar 3, the upper face 9 of block 7 is aligned with a mark 5 which is indicative of the distance between channel bottom 18 and the lower end of bar 3. A cord or chain 23 is attached to the free end of handle member 22.

The operation of the apparatus of my invention will now be described again with respect to the embodiment herein described and illustrated. Handle 22 of eccentric 21 is raised so as to increase the clearance between eccentric 21 and the bottom face 18 of channel 17. One end 24 of a hanger strip 25 is inserted between bottom face 18 of channel 17 and eccentric 2i and handle 22 moved toward bottom face 18 until strip end 24 is clamped between eccentric 21 and bottom face 18. The remainder of hanger strip 25 is then bent at approximately right angles so that it extends upwardly from the plane of channel bottom face 18. Cursor 4 is moved along rod 3 until it reaches a distance from the lower end of rod 3 corresponding to the height of mold desired as shown by the marked graduation 5 on bar 3 aligned with top 9 of block '7. Cursor 4 is locked on bar 3 in that position by aligning pin 1b with the corresponding hole 6 in bar 3. When alignment is reached, the spring 13 forces the inner end of pin 10 into hole 6. My apparatus is now lowered by hand into the interior of an ingot mold 1 positioned on a stool 2 until the lower end of bar 3 rests upon stool 2. My apparatus is positioned adjacent one side of mold 1 so that the upright portion 25 of the hanger strip is flat against that side of mold 1. The end 26 of the hanger strip extending above the top of mold 1 is then bent over the mold top and downwardly on the outside an amount sufficient to insure the maintenance of the hanger strip 25 on the mold 1 when the apparatus of my invention is removed. Handle 22 is then raised so as to increase the clearance between cam 21 and bottom face 18 of channel 17 and my device is moved away from the mold Wall until the lower end 24 of the hanger strip is cleared. My apparatus is then removedv from the mold leaving the hanger strip in place with its lower end 24 extending at right angles from the mold wall to serve as an ingot height marker for the steel pourer. Whena relatively long hanger strip is positioned in the mold it may be difficult for the workman using my apparatus to reach down into the mold far enough to grasp handle 22. In such circumstances the Workman holds the free end of cord 23 as he lowers my apparatus into a mold and releases the hanger strip by pulling cord 23 upwardly.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for setting a hanger strip in an ingot mold positioned on a mold stool comprising a bar of prismatic cross section provided With markings indicative of graduated ingot heights and along one face with detent-receiving indentations corresponding to those markings, a cursor mounted on the bar and provided with a, spring urged detent which co-operates with a selectedindentation in the bar to lock the cursor against movement along the bar at any selected marking, and meansattached to the cursor for holding an end of a hanger strip.

2; Apparatus of claim 1 in which the cursor includes an indexing element and in which the bar markings are adjusted to co-operate with the indexing element to indicate the distance of the hanger strip holding means from an end of the bar.

3. Apparatus for setting a hanger strip in an ingot mold positioned on a mold stool comprising a bar of prismatic cross section provided with markings indicative of graduated ingot heights and along one face with detent receiving indentations corresponding to those markings, a cursor mounted on the bar and provided With detent means co-operating with the indentations in the bar to position the cursor at any selected marking, and a channel in the cursor having a fiat bottom lying in a plane normal to the bar axis and adapted to receive and hold an end of a hanger strip.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Overmyer Aug. 19, 1952 

